oaldwell



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

E. P. CALDWELL.

ROTARY PLANGBR.

110.454,110. y Patented June 16,1891.

(NovMoael.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

E. P. LDWELL.

ROT PLANGBR.

No. 454,110. Patented June 16, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.j

EDWARD P. CALDIVELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCOMMODORE P. JONES, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY FLANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,110, dated June 16,1891. e

Application led March 24, 1890. Serial No. 345,055. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. CALDWELL, of Minneapolis, in the county ofHennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements inRotary Flan gers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements iu mechanism designedparticularly to remove snow and ice from railway-tracks, and isparticularly usefulwhere iceis allowed to accu mulate next to the railon the inside thereof, impeding and obstructingthe runningof trains; andit consists, generally,in a rotating Wheel adapted to rotate on theinside of each rail and in close proximity thereto, carrying a series ofadjustable cutters by means of which flan ge-room may be made throughice or snow to any depth or-any suitable gage. This r0- tating Wheelcarrying the adjustable cutters may be caused to rotate by beingconnected by a suitable driving-chain to an axle of the moving train ordriven by suitable gear from a motive power carried upon the car toWhich the iianger is attached, or attached directly to the Wheel of anordinary car and upon the same axle.

Other objects of the invention are hereinafter more fully detailed, andWill more clearly appear from the accompanying` drawings, taken inconnection with this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial sectionshowing myimprovement attached to a car. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough different parts, showing driving mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detailof the adjustable cutter.

In the drawings, 2 represents the bodyot'a car,having the girders 3 andsupporting truck- Wheels 5. Arranged underneath the body of the car arethe cu tter-Wheels 7, rigidly secu red to the shaft 8, which hassuitable bearings 9 in the pivoted arms 1l, Which are pivotally securedto the body of the car by means of pivots 12 passing through said armsand the ears 13, which are securely bolted to the bottom of said car.Above said cutter-Wheel 7 and secured to the frame of said car is acylinder 15, provided With a suitable piston and having a suitableconnection with a supply of steam or compressed air for operating saidpiston, which has suitable connection with said shaft S, whereby saidcutter-Wheels may be raised or lowered at will by the use of steam orair in said cylinder. Arranged at any suitable point is the pivoted dog17, secured to the shaft 1S, having bearing 19, secured to the frame ofthe car. Vhen the cutter-Wheel 7 is raised, the dog 17 engages thecross-bar 2O on said Wheel and retains it in its elevated position. Inthe drawings Ihave shown mechanism for rotating said cutter- Wheels 7 asused in connection with a platform-car, though it may be used with anysnow-plow or with an ordinary car.

In the construction shoWn2l is the main shaft, rotated by directconnection with a suitable engine. (Not shown.) Upon the shaft 21 isarranged a bevel-gear 23, meshing with the gear 25 on the vertical shaft2G, which, by means of the meshing bevelgear 27 and 2S, will cause thehorizontal shaft 29, Which is secured in suitable bearings underneaththe iioor of said car, to rotate when said main shaft 21 is rotated.Upon the shaft 8 is secured the sprocket-Wheel 3l, and the sprocketwheel33is j ournaled looselyupon the shaft 29. They may be of any suitablerelative size, having the driving-chain 35 for imparting the motion ofthe shaft 29 to shaft 8 When said sprocket-Wheel 33 is thrown in gear bymeans of the clutch 34, which is adapted to slide upon a feather orspline on said shaft 29.

Upon the outer face of the cutter-Wheels 7, in radial grooves 37thereon, are arranged a series of cutters 39, being adjustably securedto said Wheels by means of bolts 40 passing through holes in the body ofsaid Wheel and through a slotted opening 41 in said cutters, and held inplace by means of the nuts 42 and 43, the outervone acting as alock-nut. The inner end 47 of the cutter 39 is preferably round andscrew-threaded to receive the adjusting-nut 45. This end 47 is adaptedto pass through a suitable opening 48 in the iiange kprojection 49 onthe outer face of said wheel, formed at the inner end of said groove 37,against which the adjusting-nut is adapted to bear. The lower part ofthe cutter 39 is adapted to project beyond said Wheel, and is preferablyconstructed of greater Width than that portion secured in the groove insaid Wheel, in order to give greater Width to cut.

IOC)

One side is also preferably constructed concave and the other convex,the concavity and convexity terminating at their outer extremities in aknife-edge, which is preferably in a plane at a slight angle to that ofthe shaft S, thereby forming a cutter which cuts deeper next to the railand tends to throw the loos ened ice and snow away from the rail.

In its application to an ordinary car the sprocket-wheel 33 may bearranged upon the axle of the car-truck instead o' a separate shaft, asshaft 29, in which case the belt 35 and sprocket-wheel 3l are arranged,as shown. A lever 55, connected to the clutch 34 by means of the rod 5G,is arranged above the Hoor for operating said clutch. A lever 57,secured to the shaft IS, is provided to release the dog 17 fromengagement with the crossbar 20 when it is desired to lower thecutterwheel.

While the constructionshown for imparting motion to the danger maybemodified, as above described, by connecting it to the car-truck axle bymeans of a sprocket-wheel and chain, other means may be used withoutdeparting from my invention, or the cutter-wheel may be secured directlyto the inside of the carwheel and adapted to rotate with the carwheel,in which case no other motive power is. necessary.

In order to remove the snow and ice from between the rails, where itwould be left by the device hereinbcfore described, I provide a chute59, rigidly secured by the arms 60 and 61 to the arm 1l, so that whenthe shaft 8 is raised or lowered the chute 59 is raised or lowered inunison therewith, and is so arranged that its forward end is just behindthe cutters 39, permitting their rotation without striking saidconveyor. The chute is preferably constructed in the form of aplowshare, the rear portion extending outward over the rail to securetheV depositing of the snow and ice conveyed over it a suiiicientdistance from the rail.

I claim as my inventionl. In a rotary Hanger, the combination, with theshaft 8, of the cutter-wheel 7 having radial grooves 37 and flange I9,cutters 39, ad justably secured to said wheel in said grooves, andsuitable driving mechanism for rotating said shaft, for the purposespecified.

2. In a rotary danger, the combination, with a wheel adapted to berotated, of a series of cutters adjustably secured thereto, said cuttershaving their outer ends formed with a concave and convex sideterminating in a knife-edge, substantially as described, and for thepurpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the body of a car, of the shaft 8, havingbearings in the arms ll, pivotally secured to said car, the wheels 7,scoured to said shaft, cutters 39, adjustably secured to said wheels,and suitable driving mechanism for rotating said shaft, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the body of acar, of the shaft S, arms ll,forming bearings for said shaft and pivotally secured to said carbody,wheels 7, secured upon said shaft, cutters 39, adjustably secured tosaid wheels, chutes 59, pivotally secured to said car-body and adaptedto be raised and lowered in unison with said wheels, and suitablemechanism for rotating said shaft 8, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this J-th day of March,1890.

EDYVARD P. CA'LINVELIJ.

In presence of A. C. PAUL, R. 1I. SANFORD.

